Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig started the 2020 season with high expectations. Having signed with a new team, FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope, before the new year, she was hoping to improve on her results in 2019. 24 years old, she was supposed to compete in her first race in her new team colors at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but due to illness she had to cancel her participation at short notice. She is currently without a cycling race for the time being. However, Uttorp-Ludwig is determined not to be discouraged by the loss of his spring campaign, which he had been looking forward to. When outdoor travel was severely restricted in Spain, she opted to return to Denmark.

"I live in Girona and have been there for the last few weeks. 'But now I can't go outside except to go to the supermarket or the pharmacy, so I decided to go back to Denmark right away. I arrived in Copenhagen on Monday morning." 'In Spain we were thinking of at least two weeks of indoor quarantine. For now, I can still train outdoors in Denmark, but who knows how long that will last. It makes sense for me to return home because I like running outside the most. I am also happy to be near my family. I get to see my parents and brother more than usual.

At the same time, Uttrup-Ludwig is cautious and limits his social contacts, avoiding visits with his grandparents, gatherings with friends, and training with other cyclists.

"I ride outside, but I do it on my own. Nothing wrong with that."[7 It's great to get some fresh air." The cycling season is currently on hiatus, but this exciting Dane is trying to stay upbeat as he looks forward to a calendar that could resume at any moment.

"I trained hard all winter and was looking forward to racing with my new team. And then everything got cancelled. I don't know when I will be able to race again, and of course that makes me sad. But I trust the authorities to make the right decision. But I trust that the authorities made the right decision. If they decide to restrict me in Denmark as well, I can still ride my turbo trainer at home. After all, it's just a bike race, and I have more important things to do than that." Uttrup Ludwig has integrated well into his new team and has made friends with his French and international teammates, including two Scandinavians, Norway's Steine Borgli and Sweden's Emilia Farlin. She said, "What I like about this team is that it started as a small French team made up almost exclusively of French players and has grown all the way, especially in the last couple of years. They have applied for Women's World Tour status and their sponsor, FDJ, has made a long-term commitment. There is a good balance of seven French and seven non-French players, and communication within the team is international.

"The language of the team is English," says Uttrup Ludwig. 'Tactics meetings, race radios, team meals, everything. We are encouraged to learn and use French if we want to, but it is not a difficult requirement. Of course, the French riders and staff sometimes converse in French. When the Scandinavians start speaking Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian together, the French don't understand anything," Uttrup Ludwig laughed.